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TMt TEACHER'S HBEPBR, subscription. 



Vol. V. 



MAY, 1899. 



$2.00 per year. 
No. 10. 









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^^ A Term's Work 



ON 



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^s{f i'& ijf i^ i{f rjf jjf ^i^i at fa * * rtf i5f »1f jif tH i^ *Jf nH 4& j^- rlf ^Jj^;:* rJf ;tJ * * *S^;Jf TJf iJJ iJ^JJ Ai^i ^'^i ^^ ^^ ^ k 
The Teacher's Helper is published monthly in Chicago by A. FLANAGAN. 




By 



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CHICAGO 

A. Flanagan, Publisher 



a TEACHER'S HELPER 

Is the result of a wish on the part of the publishers to issue in 
cheap form Guides or Helps to Teachers on given subjects, and also 

excellent Supplementary Reading, at a low price. Each issue is com- ' 

plete in itself. No pains will be spared to obtain the best material ! 
that can be had from active, prominent and successful persons now 
teaching. 

THE NUMBERS AS ISSUED ARE: 

1894. Cook's Nature Myths and Stories. '■ 

" Ensign's U. S. History Outlines. ; 
" Burtoifs Outlines of English Grammar. 

" Nelson's Outlines of Elementary Science. " 

1893. Nameless Stories, Supplementary Reading. i 

Study of Hiawatha, Teacher's Edition. I 

" Norse Gods and Heroes. | 

Castle's Entertainments No. 1. i 

Introductory Guide to Nature Study. 

Walks and Talks, by William Hawley Smith. 
" Helper in School Entertainments. 

1S95. Fables and Fact Stories. '. 
Cat Tails and Other Tales. 
Three Little Lovers of Nature. 

" Castle's Entertainments No. 2. • 
" Legends of the Red JMan's Forest. 

1898. Victor in Buzzland, Natural History. ' 
Taylor's Literary Work in the Schoolroom. 

Stories from American History, Ellis. ^ 

Pritchard's Choice Dialogues. .; 

" Nature and History Stories. ] 

Ways, Methods and Devices of 1.000 Prominent Teachers. | 

" Epochs in American History, Ellis. 

1896. Scientific Temperance Manual. 
Leading American Industries. — Minerals. ' 

" Le.vis' History Outlines. 

" Our Go'd Mine.— Sequel to Black Beauty. j 

" Strike at Shanes. I 

1807. History of My Friends, or Home Life with Animals. I 

Lives of the Presidents.— Ellis. ] 

" Select Stories.— Bass. { 

" Our Friends, the Birds. \ 

The Pied Piper and Other Stories enlarged. i 

" Tall<s about Common Things.— McLeod. ] 

" WallbaulvS Outline.^ and Exercises in English Grammir 

1897. Eberhart's Elements of Entomology. i 
Graded Instructions in Drawing. ' j 

'• Fables and Tales.— Roc heleau. . 

Helps in Teaching Little Ones. ' 

" Christmas Gems.— Recitations for Christmas. > 

1898. Leading American Industries.— Products of the Soil. 
Early History Stories. ; 
Blocks With Which We Build. Supplementary Reading. i 
Pritchard's Choice Dialogues. 

•' Aunt Martha's Corner Cupboani : 
" Black Beauty. 

A Term's Work on Longfellow. ■ 

VOLUME 5. \ 

1898. Outlines and Topics of English History. '■ 

Cortez, Montezuma and Mexico, liy Bess Mitchell. I 

Outlines for Advanced Grades in U. S. History. ^ 

" The Story of Lafayette. i 

The Evangeline Book. 

1899. Natural Method of Number Teaching. '• 
IVIanual of Nature Study. 

Dramatized Themes. ' i 

The Stor5' of Longfellow. j 

A Term's" Work on W'hittier. ] 

Subscription Price, $2.00 per Volume. Any number 25c. j 

A. rbAMAGAIN, Publisher, ] 

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rNo. L 


Aug., 




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Oct. 


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•' VI. 


Jan., 


" VII. 


Feb., 


^ 


■' VIIL 


March, 


o 


" IX. 


April, 


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" X. 


May, 




•' XL 
. " XII. 


June, 




July, 




^No. I. 


Aug., 




'• II. 


Sept., 




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Ul 


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Jan., 


" VIL 


Feb., 


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X. 


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•' XL 


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July, 


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Dec, 


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Jan., 


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O 


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■' X. 


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■• XL 


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. •• XII. 


July, 




CNo. I. 
" IL 


Aug., 




Sept. 




•• in. 


Oct., 


■** 


" IV. 


Nov., 


u 


" V. 


Dec, 


s< 


" VI. 


Jan., 


3 1 


" VIL 


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J 


" VIIL 


March, 


O 

> 


" IX. 


April, 


'• X. 


May, 




" XL 


June, 




^ " XII. 


July, 




No. I. 


Aug., 




" IL 


Sept., 




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Nov. 




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Dec, 




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April, 




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May, 




WHITTIER 



A TERM^S WORK 



ON 



WHITTIER 



BY 

ANNA L. SUTLER 



^ 



CHICAGO 

A. FLANAGAN, Publisher 



f CCONO COPY. 




T 
i 



c^. 



31282 



Copyrighted 1899 

BY 
A. FLANAGAN. 



TWO COPIES* R£CC:iV£0, 



-^e. 



f APRiylS! 



•\ 



^~n^!^%ty 



A Term's Work on Whittier 

FOR LOWER GRADES. 



"It is a gift to mankind when a poet is raised up 
among us, who devotes his great powers to the sublime 
purpose of spreading among men principles of mercy and 
justice and freedom. This our friend Whittier has done in 
a degree unsurpassed by any other poet who has spoken to 
the world in our tongue."— >/z« Bright, of England, 



SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS. 



A late magazine writer has spoken of the ''new 
and good fashion of teaching the poems of our best 
writers to children in school." 

This outline was arranged to save this "new and 
good fashion" from becoming either haphazard or 
machine work. Most children are delighted to 
learn something of a noted author, for children are 
naturally addicted to hero-worship. Teach them 
to find the thought and motive which makes the 
hero. 

Every child should be supplied with a good 
blank book and if possible the small pictures of 
Whittier and his home which may be obtained 
from the publisher of this book for a trifle. 

Take up Whittier's early life, etc., in conver- 
sation lessons, afterward using them for composi- 
tion work. 

Permit nothing to be put in the blank books 
until it is written neatly and correctly. Have all 
the work in the books done with pen and ink and 
have the pictures pasted in their appropriate places. 

The poems to be studied should be copied, 
either from the blackboard or hectographed copies. 
The ability to copy neatly and correctly is not 

(7) 



8 A TERM S WORK ON WHITTIKR. 

usual in children, and is worth cultivating. If the 
children succeed in preparing a nice book they will 
enjoy the work. 

The plan of work as given here may require 
modifications to suit the needs of different classes. 

A. L. S. 

All the poems found in the outline are used 
with the permission of Houghton & MifiSiin, author- 
ized publishers of Whittier's poems. 



A TERM S WORK ON WHITTIER. 9 

JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER. 

Bom in Haverhill, Mass., Dec. 17, 1807. 
Died in Hampton Falls, N. H. Sept. 7, 1892. 
Buried in Friend's Cemetery in Amesbury, Mass. 

whittier's early life= 

Whittier was born in an old fashioned farm- 
house about three miles from Haverhill, Mass. 
The building is supposed to be over a hundred 
years old. It stands in a valley shut in by wooded 
hills. No other house is in sight. The house 
and its surroundings, as they were in Whittier's 
boyhood, are faithfully described in ''Snow-bound." 

All the surroundings of his childhood were 
very plain. "Barefoot Boy" is probably a descrip- 
tion of himself as a boy. 

His opportunities of education were limited. 
Most of his teaching was obtained in the school- 
house described in the poem "In School Days." 

By making shoes all one winter he earned suf- 
ficient money to attend the Haverhill Academy 
the winter he was nineteen. 

When his board and tuition were paid he had 
a quarter of a dollar left. When the term closed 
he still had the quarter. 

By teaching a district school he succeeded in 
paying for another term at the academy. 

Soon after leaving school he was offered the 
position of editor of the "American Manufacturer," 



10 A TKRM'S work on WHIT'TIHR. 

published in Boston. After the failure of this 
paper he acted as editor of two or three other 
papers. 

He finally settled in Amesbury, Mass. His 
life was mostly spent in one state, and even one 
county of that state. He was never south of the 
Potomac nor west of the Alleghenies. 

He was distinctly a new England man. Many 
of his poems describe New England scenery or 
tell of New England traditions and history. Some 
of his poems treating of these subjects are, '^Skip- 
per Ireson's Ride," ''Witch of Wenham," 'Truce 
of Piscataqua," "The Witch's Daughter," "Mogg 
Negone," and "The Dead Ship of Hurpswell." 



THE BAREFOOT BOY. 

Blessings on thee, little man, 
Barefoot boy, with checks of tan! 
With thy turned up pantaloons, 
And thy merry whistled tunes: 
With thy red lips, redder still 
Kissed by strawberries on the hill; 
With the sunshine on thy face. 
Through thy torn brim's jaunty grace: 
From my heart I give thee joy, — 
I was once a barefoot boy! 
Prince thou art — the grown up man 
Only is republican. 
Let the million-doUared ride! 
Barefoot, trudging at his side, 
Thou hast more than he can buy 
In the reach of ear and eye, — 



A TERM S WORK ON WHITTIER. 



11 



Outward sunshine, inward joy: 
Blessings on thee, barefoot boy. 
Oh, for boyhood's painless play, 
Sleep that wakes in laughing day, 




"^m-m 



> 



m^ 




THE "BAREFOOT BOY." 

Health that mocks the doctor's rules, 
Knowledge never learned of schools, 
Of the wild bees's morning chase. 
Of the wild-flower's time and place, 



12 A term's work on whittier. I 

Flight of fowl and habitude, i 

Of the tenants of the wood, ] 

How the tortoise bears his shell, I 

How the wood-chuck digs his cell, ■ 

And the ground-mole sinks his well. ] 

How the oriole's nest is hung, j 

How the robin feeds her young, | 

Where the whitest lilies blow, * ] 

Where the freshest berries grow, '< 

Where the ground-nut trails its vine. 

Where the wood-grape's clusters shine. 

Of the black wasp's cunning way, ■ 

Mason of his walls of clay, 

And the architectural plans 

Of gray hornet artisans! — 

For, eschewing books and tasks, 

Nature answers all he asks; 

Hand in hand with her he walks, 

Face to face with her he talks. 

Part and parcel of her joy, — 

Blessing on the barefoot boy! 

O! for boyhood's time of June, 
Crowding years in one brief moon, 
When all things I heard or saw 
Me, their master, waited for. 
I was rich in flowers and trees, 
Humming-birds and honey-bees; 
For my sport the squirrel played. 
Plied the snouted mole his spade; 
For my taste the blackberry cone 
Purpled over hedge and stone; 
Laughed the brook for my delight 
Through the day and through the night, 
Whispering at the garden wall 



A tkrm's work on whittikr. 13 

Talked with me from fall to fall! 
Mine the sand-rimmed pickerel pond, 
Mine the walnut slope beyond, 
Mine, on bending orchard trees. 
Apples of Hesperides! 
Still, as my horizon grew, 
I/arger grew my riches too; 
All the world I saw or knew 
Seemed a complex Chinese toy 
Fashioned for a barefoot boy. 

O, for festal dainties spread 
Like my bowl of milk and bread, — 
Pewter spoon and bowl of wood. 
On the doorstone, gray and rude! 
O'er me, like a regal tent. 
Cloudy-ribbed, the sunset bent. 
Purple-curtained, fringed with gold. 
Looped in many a wind-swung fold; 
While for music came the play 
Of the pied frogs' orchestra; 
And, to light the noisy choir, 
Lit the fly his lamp of fire. 
I was monarch: pomp and joy 
Waited on the barefoot boy! 

Cheerily, then, my little man. 
Live and laugh , as bo3^hood can ! 
Though the flinty slopes be hard. 
Stubble-speared the new-mown sward, 
Every morn shall lead thee through 
Fresh baptisms of the dew; 
Every evening from thy feet 
Shall the cool wind kiss the heat; 
All too soon these feet must hide 



14 A term's work on whittier. 

In the prison cells of pride, 
lyose the freedom of the sod, 
Like a colt's for work be shod, 
Made to tread the mills of toil. 
Up and down in ceaseless moil. 
Happy if their track be found 
Never on forbidden ground; 
Happy if they sink not in 
Quick and treacherous sands of sin. 
Ah! that thou couldst know thy joy, 
Ere it passes, barefoot boy! 



LANGUAGE WORK. 

Explain apostrophes in '^brim's," "boyhood's," 
'doctor's," "bee's;"\vildflower's,""wasp's'"^frogs," 
'colt's," ''oriole's " "o'er." 



ite sentences nsing: 




mocks horizon 


pomp 


tenant complex 


orchestra 


artisan regal 


sward 



SUGGESTIONS FOR CONVERSATION AND 
COMPOSITION WORK. 

Describe the "barefoot boy," — clothing, face, 
etc. What did Whittier know about barefoot boys? 
What belonged to the boy which the "million dol- 
lared" could not buy? Tell five things the boy 
knew. How had he learned them? How is the 
oriole's nest hung ? Where do the freshest berries 



A TERM S WORK ON WHITTIER. 15 

grow? (Perhaps sorae of the class may bring an 
oriole's nest or hornet's nest. Such things, or any 
information in regard to the phases of Nature study 
mentioned, will tend to make the poem more real 
to the child.) 

What is a brief moon ? Who owned ''all things 
he heard or saw ?" Name some of the things which 
he felt he owned. What were the ^'apples of Hes- 
perides?" (Golden fruit.) What was the supper 
of the barefoot boy? Where eaten? What were 
his dishes? What was his tent? What his music? 
What the light? What is the meaning of ''pied?" 
What advice does Whittier give the boy? What 
will happen to him "all too soon?" What are the 
"prison cells of pride?" What is Whittier's wish 
for the boy? What does the use of "thee," "thy," 
indicate ? Select the four lines (or more) you like 
the best in the poem. 



THE QUAKER POET. 

The Quakers are a religious body. This body 
had its origin in England over two hundred years 
ago with a man named Fox. They always call 
themselves "Friends" because part of their religi- 
ous belief is to consider themselves as friends of 
everyone. They believe war or armed resistance 
for any cause to be wrong. They refuse to take 
oaths, in court or elsewhere. They never use the 
common names of the days of the week, or of the 



16 A term's work on whittikr. 

month, because these names are of heathen origin. 
Instead they speak always of the days and months 
by number, — Sunday is the First Day, etc. They 
use thee^ thou^ thy^ instead of the more common 
forms oi you. They dress always in quiet colors. 
This seemed more peculiar two hundred years ago 
than it does to day. Then men as well as women 
wore brilliant colors and lace and ruffles. The 
men of Quaker persuasion wear broad brimmed 
hats, which they refuse to take off as a mark of re- 
spect to any one. 

Many of their beliefs were very different from 
those held by the people of those times, and they 
were bitterly persecuted. Fox, when brought be- 
fore the judge on one occasion, told his persecutors 
'*to quake before the word of the Lord." From 
this circumstance they were called in contempt 
''''Quakers^ Though they are as a people highly 
respected now, yet the name of Quaker still clings 
to them. 

The colony of Pennsylvania was founded as a 
refuge for the persecuted Quakers of England. From 
this colony they spread over the other colonies, 
preaching their peculiar doctrines. 

In many places, especially in New England, 
they met with severe persecutions, — having their 
tongues cut out, being branded with a hot iron, be- 
ing flogged at the cart's tail, and other cruel punish- 
ments. 



A term's work on WHITTIER. 17 

Whittier's earliest American ancestor was a 
Huguenot, but his son married a Quakeress. The 
family since have been mostly Quakers. 

It is recorded of one of Whittier's ancestors 
that he refused the protection of the blockhouse 
during the Indian depredations. But he "entreat- 
ed" the Indians in so kindly a manner that he was 
never molested by them, though they came and 
went with fresh scalps at their belts. 

Whittier did not retain the Quaker style of 
dress, though the forms of speech and general be- 
lief he always retained. He is called "The Qua- 
ker Poet." Many of his poems describe the Quaker 
beliefs and customes; as, "First Day Thoughts," 
"The Meeting," and "The Quaker of the Olden 
Times." Other of his poems tell of their persecu- 
tions, both in Old England and New England; as, 
"Barclay of Ury," "Cassandra Southwick," and 
"The Exiles." 

A good description of Quaker life will be found 
in some chapters of "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Let 
these be read in class if possible. 

FIRST DAY THOUGHTS. 

In calm and cool and silence, once again 

I find my old accustomed place among 

My brethren, when, perchance, no human tongue 

Shall utter words; where never hymn is sung, 

Nor deep-toned organ blown, nor censer swung, 

Nor dim light faUing through the pictured pane! 



18 A term's work on WHITTIER. 

Then, syllabled by silence, let me hear 

The still small voice which reached the prophet's ear; 

Read in my heart a still diviner law 

Than Israel's leader on his tables saw! 

Then let me strive with each besetting sin, 

Recall my wandering fancies, and restrain 

The sore disquiet of a restless brain; 

And as the path of duty is made plain, 

May grace be given that I may walk therein, 

Not like the hireling, for his selfish gain. 

With backward glances and reluctant tread. 

Making a merit of his coward dread, — 

But cheerful, in the light around me thrown, 

Walking as one to pleasant service led; 

Doing God's will as if it were my own, 

Yet trusting not in mine, but in his strength alone! 



LANGUAGE WORK. 

Define ^'syllabled" as used in the poem and 
write a sentence containing the word. Make a list 
of the adjectives in the poem. 

What mark is used at the end of the sixth line? 
Why is it used? Does it occur anywhere else in 
the poem? 

Suggestions for Conversation and Composition 
work. 

Why is Whittier called the Quaker Poet? 

Have the Quakers any "Creed?" 

What is meant by ''Creed?" 

Who founded the ''Society of Friends" or 
"Quakers?" 

What has been their history in this country? 



A tkrm's work on whittikr. 



19 



Write out the lines of the poem which indicate 
the peculiar belief of the Quakers. 

What is their opinion of war? 

Why do they use ''thee" and ''thou?" 

Read in Uncle Tom's Cabin the description of 
Quaker life. 




whittier's home— amesbury, mass. 

WHITTIER'S FAMILY. 
Whittier describes his father's family in his ac- 
count of the family group in Snowbound,— his 
father, mother, uncle, aunt, brother and two sis- 
ters. 



20 / A term's work on whittikr. 

His father died when Whittier was about thirty 
years old. After that for some time he managed 
the home farm. When he finally settled in Ames- 
bury he took with him his mother, younger sister, 
Elizabeth, and his aunt, Mercy. 

These three lived with him until they died one 
after another. His sister, Elizabeth, seems to have 
been peculiarly dear to him. 

"The sweetest woman ev^er Fate, 
Perverse, denied a household mate." 

Amesbury has many traditions of their attach- 
ment for each other. She did some literary work 
of considerable merit. Some of her work is given 
in Whittier's published poems. After her death 
his home was never the same to him. He says in 
Snow-bound — 

"But still I wait with ear and eye 

For something gone which should be nigh, 

A loss in all familiar things, 

In flower that blooms and bird that sings. " 

His older sister, Mary, encouraged him through- 
out his early struggles. His first appearance in 
print was due her. She sent one of his poems to 
the local paper. This brought him the friendship 
of Garrison, who had much to do with moulding 
Whittier's career. He never married. After his 
sister Elizabeth's death a cousin kept house for 
him. 



A TKRM'S work on WHITTIER. 



21 



SNOW-BOUND. 

This poem is considered Whittier's best. It is 
a description of a New England snow-storm and of 
a family shut in by it. All the surroundings are 
those of Whittier's boyhood — the family is his own. 




whittier's BIRTH-PI.ACE. 



The descriptions are very beautiful and real, 
though he tells of homely every-day objects and 
incidents — the barnyard after a snowstorm, the 
family group about the old-fashioned fireplace, and 



22 A term's work on whittier. 

the opening of a road through the snow-filled high- 
way. 

The poem was written in 1866, when Whittier 
was nearly sixty years old. It was written origi- 
nally for ''Our Young Folks" a forerunner of ^'St. 
Nicholas." The editor asked him to write a poem 
descriptive of his boyhood. 

In answer to an inquiry he said later: ''The 
matter has grown beyond bounds. Thee wanted 
twelve stanzas, and three times that are now writ- 
ten and the story's hardly begun, and moreover 
I fear thee will not like it." 

However the publishers were very glad to take 
the poem when finished. They sent an artist to 
get sketches of the old Whittier homestead to illus- 
trate it. 

Whittier was very unwilling to have the artist 
visit his old home. He said, "Thee will find it 
guarded by a dragon, and a very untidy dragon." 
This the artist found true, as the tenant of the 
place was a foreigner who understood little Eng.- 
lish. 

A large cook stove stood before the fireplace 
and everything was in an unkempt condition. 

The artist finally persuaded them to move the 
cook stove and place the crane and andirons in posi- 
tion. Then going to the attic he found some of 
the old furniture — chairs, tables, etc. These he 



A term's work on whittier. 23 

brought down and placed around the room. Then 
he made a sketch of the whole. 

When he went back to Whittier the author 
met him with a smile, feeling sure he had gained 
nothing. The artist opened his note book and 
showed his sketch. The old poet gazed at it with 
tears in his eyes. ''How did thee do it? How did 
thee do it? 'Tis just as we knew it nearly half a 
century ago." 

Whittier was well paid for this poem, receiving 
twice the amount originally agreed upon. This 
placed him for the first time in his life beyond 
want. 

AFTER THE SNOW-STORM. 

And, when the second morning shone, 

We looked upon a world unknown, 

On nothing we could call our own. 

Around the glistening wonder bent 

The blue walls of the firmament, 

No cloud above, no earth below — 

A universe of sky and snow! 

The old familiar sights of ours 

Took marvelous shapes, strange domes and towers 

Rose up where sty and corn-crib stood, 

Or garden wall, or belt of wood; 

A smooth white mound the brush-pile showed, 

A fenceless drift what once was road; 

The bridle-post an old man sat 

With loose-flung coat and high cocked hat; 

The well curb had a Chinese roof; 

And even the long sweep high aloof, 

In its slant splendor, seemed to tell 

Of Pisa's leaning miracle. 

— Selection from Snowbo2ind. 



24 A term's work on whittier. 

Suggestions for Conversation Lessons and 
Composition Work. 

If this selection be read just after a heavy snow- 
storm the effect will be heightened. Ask the chil- 
dren if they ever saw a scene such as is pictured 
here. Bring out the meaning of * 'glistening won- 
der'^ and "firmament.'' Why was this a "world 
unknown?" Why was there "no earth below?" 
Why did "old familiar sights" take "marvelous 
shapes?" How could the sty and corn-crib be 
changed to "strange domes and towers?" What is 
a bridle post? A well-curb? Chinese roof? Long 
sweep? (Show picture of an old fashioned well with 
the long sweep.) What is "Pisa's leaning miracle?" 
(A tower at Pisa, Italy, which leans thirteen feet 
out of the perpendicular. The "miracle" consists in 
its being able to remain standing. The cause 
is said to be the lightness of the structure. Had 
the wind blown while this snow was falling. How 
can you tell? 



WHITTIER'S OPPOSITION TO SLAVERY. 

When Whittier was a boy and until he was 
nearly sixty years old, all through the Southern 
half of the United States negroes were held as 
slaves. That is, their labor and they themselves 
belonged to the white man who chanced to be their 
owner, and he might buy or sell or treat them in 



A tkrm's work on whittikr. 25 

any way he chose. Many slave owners, especially 
in the border states, were very kind to their slaves. 
But farther south in the cotton states they were 
often cruelly treated. The hard thing about slav- 
ery was that any slave owner had the right, ac- 
cording to law, to be kind or cruel, as he chose. 
(Chapters selected from ''Uncle Tom's Cabin" 
would make this clear.) 

The Quakers always believed slavery to be 
wrong and did all they could against it. Whittier 
felt intensely the wrong of slavery and took an ac- 
tive part in all anti-slavery movements. Opposi- 
tion to slavery was quite unpopular in the North 
before the war; anti-slavery leaders were often 
mobbed even in Boston. 

On one occasion a mob took Whittier for an- 
other man and rotten egged him. They also threw 
stones at him but the aim was poor and they hit 
the fence. Whittier says he felt like the Apostle, 
Paul. A friend opened his house and took the 
poet in. The riot raged outside the house for some 
time and finally his friends took him in a carriage 
and drove rapidly out of town. 

On another occasion when he was editing an 
anti-slavery paper his ofiice was burned. Whittier 
then traveled through the Northern States lectur- 
ing against slavery. 

His poems and prose articles against slavery 
doubtless had a large influence in bringing an end 



26 A term's work on whittikr. 

to human bondage in the United States. But they 
brought him little of money or honor because of 
the unpopularity of the cause. 

After the War he was better appreciated, and in 
his later years was much honored and beloved. 

Some of his poems in regard to slavery are, 
''The Christian Slave," ''Stanzas for the Times," 
"The Slave Ships" "The Curse of the Charter 
Breakers," '^Massachusetts to Virginia." 

But life shall on and upward go; 

Th' eternal step of Progress beats 
To that great anthem, calm and slow. 

Which God repeats. 

— The Reformer. 

Yet here at least an earnest sense 
Of human right and weal is shown, 
A hate of tyranny intense, 
And hearty in its vehemence; 

As if my brother's pain and sorrow were my own. 

— Proem. 



THE CORN SONG. 

Heap high the farmer's wintry hoard' 
Heap high the golden corn! 

No richer gift has Autumn poured 
From out her lavish horn! 

Let other lands exulting glean 

The apple from the pine, 
The orange from its glossy green 

The cluster from the vine: 



A term's work on whittier. 

We better love the hardy gift 

Our rugged vales bestow, 
To cheer us when the storm shall drift 

Our harvest-fields with snow. 

Through vales of grass and meads of flowers 
Our ploughs their furrows made, 

While on the hills, the sun and showers 
Of changeful April played. 

We dropped the seed o'er hill and plain 

Beneath the sun of May, 
And frightened from our sprouting grain 

The robber crows away. 

All through the long bright days of June 

It leaves grew green and fair. 
And waved in hot mid-summer noon 

Its soft and yellow hair. 

And now, with autumn's moonlit eves 

Its harvest time has come. 
We pluck away the frosted leaves 

And bear the treasure home. 

There, richer than the fabled gift 

Apollo showered of old. 
Fair hands the broken grain shall sift 

And knead its meal of gold. 

Let vapid idlers loll in silk 

Around their costly board: 
Give us the bowl of samp and milk 

By home -spun beauty poured. 

Where'er the wide old kitchen hearth 

Sends up its smoky curls 
Who will not thank the kindly earth 

And bless our farmer girls! 



28 A Term's work on whittier. 

Then shame on all the proud and vain, 
Whose folly laughs to scorn 

The blessing of our hardy grain 
Our wealth of golden corn! 

Let earth withhold her goodly root 
Let mildew blight the rye, 

Give to the worm the orchard's fruit 
The wheat-field to the fly: 

But let the good old crop adorn 
The hills our fathers trod; 

Still let us for his golden corn 
Send up our thanks to God ! 



LANGUAGE WORK. 

Find all the apostrophes in the poem and ac- 
count for the use of each. 

Make a list of verbs, adverbs and adjectives 
found in the first four stanzas. 

Explain capitals in Autumn, Let, April, May, 
June, and Apollo. 

Suggestions for Conversation Lessons and 
Composition Work. 

Meaning of ^'hoard?" Why ^'wintry?" What 
lands are referred to in the second stanza? What 
fruits does he mention? What do they love better? 
When did they plow for corn? How does he de- 
scribe the month? When did they plant their 
com? Who tried to steal it? What is ''its soft 



A term's work on whittier. 29 

and yellow hair?" When did the ''harvest time 
come?" What was the treasure they bore home? 
What name do we give to the broken grain of corn? 
What is the meaning of "vapid?" "Loll?" "Samp?" 
To what other uses may corn be put? 

What are some of the "goodly roots?" What 
are the orchard fruits of New England? What fly 
attacks the wheat? (Hessian fly.) What does he 
consider better than any of these products? Is 
there any corn which is not golden? (A few les- 
sons on the history and growth of corn would prob- 
ably be profitable before taking up the poem. It 
is interesting to note that the corn of New England 
neither grows as large nor yields as does the corn 
of the Mississippi Valley.) 



Alas ! for him who never sees 
The stars shine through the cypress trees, 
Who, hopeless, lays his dead away, 
Nor looks to see the breaking day 
Across the mournful marbles play; 
Who hath not learned in hours of faith 
The truth to flesh and sense unknown 
That Life is ever lord of Death 
And lyove can never lose its own. 

— Snowbound. 



30 



A TERM S WORK ON WHITTIKR. 



WHITTIER'S OLD AGE. 

Whittier was never a strong man, being sub- 
ject to severe nervous headaches which mental ap- 
plication quickly brought on. In his old age these 
became much more frequent. He also became 

quite deaf. 

Having no imme- 
diate family he was 
somewhat isolated 
and when unable to 
work was often very 
^K. ■ lonely. However, he 

■H|B * was always cheerful 

^^^^.^^ Mmt^. and never complain- 

ed. Someone asked 
him how he passed 
the time when un- 
able to work, '^O," 
he said, "I play with 
the dogs, go out to 
seethe horses, and talk with Phoebe a little; there's 
always someone to talk with.'' Whittier was 
known to the children of Amesbury as the '^man 
with the parrot." This bird was the original of 
^'Charlie." He would sometimes stop passing 
teams by calling 'Vhoa." When the school bell 
rang, he would call out, ^'Run in, boys, run in." 

On one occasion an intrusive woman called on 
the poet. After making herself quite disagreeable 




A I'KRM^S WORK ON WHITTIKR. 31 

in various ways, she asked for a lock of his hair. 
He drew himself up indignantly as he solemnly 
said, ''1 should think thee could see I have none 
to spare." 

Some one offered him the use of a Florida cot- 
tage during the winter. But he declined it, say- 
ing, ''I must live and die, if die I must, in Yankee- 
dom." 

He died at the home of his cousins at the age 
of eighty-five. 

BLACKBOARD MOTTOES. 

It is easy for children to learn poetry and they 
enjoy it, while it stores the mind with gems that 
will be a help and comfort in their future years. 

If the following short extracts from Whittier's 
writings are placed upon the blackboard, one at a 
time, and kept there until every pupil has learned 
them, by the close of the term's work they will 
have stored in their memory many choice thoughts. 

It would be pleasant and profitable to open the 
recitation by repeating them in concert. 

Better to stem with heart and hand 

The roaring tide of Hfe, than He 

Unmindful on its flowery strand, 

Of God's occasions drifting by! 

Better with naked nerves to bear 

The needles of this goading air, 

Than in the lap of sensual ease forego 

The god-like power to do, the god-like aim to know. 



32 A term's work on WHITTIER. i 

The riches of the commonwealth 
Are free strong minds, and hearts of health, 
And more to her than gold or grain i 

The cunning hand and cultured brain. I 

— Our State. 

Yet, in the maddening maze of things, | 

And tossed by storm and flood, J 

To one fixed trust my spirit clings; ' 

I know that God is good! ; 

— The Eternal Goodness. ' 

I have no answer for myself or thee \ 

Save that I learned beside my mother's knee, — ; 

All is of God, and God is good. 

Let this suffice thee still, ' 

Resting in child like confidence upon His will 

Who moves to His great ends unthwarted by the ill. 

— Trust. \ 

The hills are dearest which our childish feet j 

Have climbed the earliest; and the streams most sweet i 

Are those at which our young lips drank, i 

Stooped to their waters o'er the grassy bank. : 

— The Bridal of Pennacools. \ 

He prayeth best who leaves unguessed 
The mystery of another's breast; 
Why cheeks grow pale, why eyes o'erflow, 
Or heads are white, thou needst not know, 
Enough to note by many a sign J 

That every heart hath needs like thine. ^ 

Pray for us. : 

— Prayer Seeker. \ 



A term's work on WHITTIKR. 33 

For still in mutual sufferance lies 
The secret of true living; 
I^ove scarce is love that never knows 
The sweetness of forgiving. 

— Amo7ig the Hills. 
When faith is lost, when honor dies 
The man is dead. 

—richabod. 
I dimly guess from blessings known 
Of greater out of sight; 
And with the chastened Psalmist own 
His judgments too are right. 

— The Eter?ial Goodness. 
Hope not the cure of sin to see till Self is dead; 
Forget it in love's service, and the debt 
Thou canst not pay the angels shall forget, 
Heaven's gate is shut to him who comes alone; 
Save thou a soul and it shall save thine own. 

— The Two Rabbis. 

But He, who knows our frame, is just, 
Merciful and compassionate, 
And full of sweet assurances; 
And hope for all the language is 
That He remembereth we are dust. 

— Snowbound. 

I cannot feel that thou art far. 
Since near at need the angels are; 
And when the sunset gates unbar, 
Shall I not see thee waiting stand, 
And, white against the evening star 
The welcome of thy beckoning hand? 

— Snowbound. 



34 A term's work on whittier. 

God grant we leave upon the shore 
Some waif of good it lacked before; 
Some seed, or flower, or plant of worth, 
Some added beauty to the earth; 
Some larger hope, some thought to make 
The sad world happier for its sake. 

— Haverhill. 
And prayer is made, and praise is given, 
By all things near and far; 
The ocean looketh up to heaven 
And mirrors every star. 

— The Worship of Nature. 

Gives fools their gold, and knaves their power. 
Let fortune's bubbles rise or fall; 
Who sows a field, or trains a flower 
Or plants a tree, is more than all. 

For he who blesses most is blest; 
And God and man shall own his w^orth 
Who toils to leave as his bequest 
An added beauty to the earth. 
— Lines at the openijig of an Agricultural Fair. 



A term's work on whittier. 35 

SUGGESTIONS FOR A WHITTIER 
PROGRAM. 

It would be very pleasant to close the work of 
the term with a Whittier Program. Considerable 
material for such a program will be found in this 
volume. If, from the written work done by the 
children during the term, the best be selected to 
be read, the children will be pleased. Such work 
will also give visitors a better idea of the usual 
school work than ordinary rhetorical exercises. 

The poems given herein may be used as recita- 
tions. Additional poems suitable for recitation 
are, "Barbara Frietchie," 'The Brother of Mercy," 
"The Two Rabbis," "Little Red Riding Hood," 
"Skipper Ireson's Ride," and "In School Days." 

Additional composition work might be obtained 
by writing abstracts of his longer poems, as"Mogg 
Megone," "Nahaught The Deacon," or "Mary 
Garvin." 

The "Blackboard Mottoes" could be used either 
by having them recited in concert, if the pupils 
had been trained to do it properly by daily work, 
or each pupil might recite separately, the teacher 
giving out beforehand the verses to the pupils, 
so that there should be no repetitions. 

If the pupils are not too large, the Whittier 
Acrostic could be used in closing, a pupil represent- 
ing a letter and reciting the verse for the letter. 

The whole class could recite the last verse in 
concert or the "letters" could recite it together. 



36 A term's work on WHITTIKR. 

WHITTIKR ACROSTIC. 

W stands for the Wayside Well that our poet wrote about; 
'Twas a captain delved till be found the spring, in spite of 

his neighbor's doubt. 
H is next for the Huskers gay, who came from far and near, 
To strip from its husks the "farmer's gold," the full corn in 

the ear. 
I for In School Days next appears, 'twas a little girl you 

know, 
Who hated so much to go above, because she loved him so. 
T stands for the Trailing Arbutus, sweet which our poet 

dear once found. 
Where it "lifted its eyes in glad surprise' ' from the chilled 

and wintry ground. 
T stands once more for Telling the Bees, 'twas the serving 

maid who said, 
"Stay at home, pretty bees, and fiy not hence, for Mistress 

Mary is dead. ' ' 
I again is for Ireson, "Skipper Floyd, whom the women of 

Marblehead 
"Tarred and feathered and carried in a cart" for "his hard 

heart," they said. 
E is next for Exiles twain who harbored within their doors 
A "Friend," and for this they were driven hence to Nan- 
tucket's lonely shores. 
R is last for Red Riding Hood who fed from her little store 
The big black crow and the bright jay, with the squirrels 

round her door. 

IN CONCERT. 

Now here are W-H-I-T-T-I-E-R, you see. 
To tell the name of the "Friend" who wrote these poems 
for you and me. 

— Intelligence, 



A term's work on WHlTTll^R. 3? 

THE HUSKERS. 

It was late in mild October, and the long autumnal rain 
Had left the summer harvest-fields all green with grass 

again; 
The first sharp frosts had fallen, leaving all the woodlands 

gay 
With the hues of summer's rainbow, or the meadow-flowers 

of Ma}' . 

Through a thin, dry mist, that morning, the run rose broad 

and red, 
At first a ray less disc of fire, he brightened as he sped; 
Yet, even his noontide glory fell chastened and subdued, 
On the corn-fields and the orchards, and softly pictured 

wood. 

And all that quiet afternoon, slow sloping to the night, 
He wove with golden shuttle the haze with yellow light; 
Slanting through the painted beeches, he glorified the hill, 
And, beneath it, pond and meadow lay brighter, greener 
still. 

And shouting boys in woodland haunts caught glimpses of 

that sky, 
Flecked by the many tinted leaves, and laughed, they knew 

not why; 
And school-girls, gay with aster-flowers, beside the meadow 

brooks. 
Mingled the glow of autumn with the sunshine of sweet 

looks. 

From spire and barn, looked westerly the patient weather- 
cocks; 

But even the birches on the hill stood motionless as rocks; 

No sound was in the woodlands, save the squirrel's dropping 
shell, 



38 

And the 3'ellow leaves among the boughs, low rustling as 
they fell. 

The summer grains were harvested; the stubble-fields lay 

dry, 
Where June winds rolled, in light and shade, the pale-green 

waves of rye; 
But still, on gentle hill-slopes, in valleys fringed with wood, 
Ungathered, bleaching in the sun, the heavy corn crop stood. 

Bent low, by autumn's wind and rain, through husks that, 

dry and sere, 
Unfolded from their ripened charge, shone out the yellow 

ear; 
Beneath, the turnip lay concealed, in many a verdant fold, 
And glistened in the slanting light the pumpkin's sphere of 

gold. 

There wrought the busy harvesters; and man}' a creaking 

wain 
Bore slowly to the long barn- floor its load of husk and grain; 
Till broad and red, as when he rose, the sun sank down, at 

last. 
And like a merr}' guest's farewell, the day in brightness 

passed. 

And lo! as through the western pines, on meadow, stream 

and pond, 
Flamed the red radiance of a sky, set all afire beyond, 
Slowly o'er the Eastern sea-bluffs a milder glory shone. 
And the sunset and the moonrise were mingled into one! 

As thus into the quiet night the twilight lapsed away, 
And deeper in the brightening moon the tranquil shadows 

lay; 
From many a brown old farm-house, and hamlet without 

name, 



A term's work on whittier. 39 

Their milking and their home-tasks done, the merr}' husk- 
ers came. 

Swung o'er the heaped-up harvest, from pitchforks in the 
mow, 

Shone dimly down the lanterns on the pleasant scene below; 

The growing pile of husks behind, the golden ears before, 

And laughing eyes and busy hands, and brown cheeks glim- 
mering o'er. 

Half hidden in a quiet nook, serene of look and heart, 

Talking their old times over, the old men sat apart; 

While, up and down the unhusked pile, or nestling in its 
shade. 

At hide-and-seek, with laugh and shout, the happy child- 
ren played. 

Urged by the good host's daughter, a maiden young and 

fair, 
Lifting to light her sweet blue e3'es and pride of soft brown 

hair, 
The master of the village school, sleek of hair and smooth 

of tongue, 
To the quaint tune of some old psalm, a husking ballad 

sung. 



3477-1^3 

Lot 74 



The training of the powers of obser 
vatton in the young is all im- 
portant. 



^J^z^ 



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First Reader, 96 pp.; Boards 20 cts.; Cloth 25 cts. 




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Second Reader, 160 pp.; Boards 25 cts.; Cloth 30 cts. 



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A. FLANAGAN, = 267 Wabash Avenue, Chicago. 



SONGS IN SEASON 



FOR PRIMARY AND 
INTERMEDIATE GRADES 

Words by L»ydia Avery Goonley and others 
Music by Mary S. Gonrade 

Jessie L». Gaynor 

Frank Atkinson, Jr. and others 



HE general plan and arrangement of the Songs and the 
Special Day instructions, etc., by Marian M. George, 
Editor of the Plan Books. They correlate nicely with 
work outlined in these books, but independently make the best 
Primary and Intermediate Song Book now^ on the market. 

It contains songs for every Holiday, Birthday and Special 
Day observed in the schoolroom. In addition to this are Songs 
related to Nature and Science Work, over one hundred in all. 
Among the 

Special Songs are Longfellow, Whittier, Lincoln, Washing= 

ton and Froebel Birthday Songs 
Doll Day, Flower Day and Labor Day for September 
Brownie Day and Columbus Day for October 
Indian and Thanksgiving Day Songs for November 
Christmas Songs for December 
Mother Day and Eskimo Songs for January 
Patriotic and Valentine Songs for February 
Picture Day and Easter Songs for March 
Arbor Day and Japanese Day for April 
May and Bird Day for May 
Flower Day for June 

By seasons, there are twenty Songs of Spring-time, eight 
Flower Songs, thirteen Bird Songs, 26 Songs of Autunm, thirty 
Winter Songs and twenty Miscellaneous Songs. 

V\e have just received the following letter: 

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are extremely good. I am going to mention some particularly, but where 
all are so good, it is really difficult to discriminate. 'Growing,' 'May 
Queen,' 'Japanese Flower Day,' 'Columbus," 'Indian,' 'Eskimo,' 'Danc- 
ing Song' and 'My Bicycle' are all perfectly delightful. Mr. Atkinson's 
songs, especially the patriotic ones, are thrilling " 

The book contains loO pages. Pri e in paper binding, 50 
cents. Cloth, 75 cents. 

A. FLANAGAN, Chicago. 








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